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Navigating all levels of government bureaucracy, healthcare, and educational systems often involves jumping through hoops, clearing hurdles, and overcoming barriers, including onerous paperwork and applications, prerequisites, and even occasional subjective conditions invented by the agency or organization. These challenges can make it difficult to access essential services, create positive changes in your life or the world, and achieve your dreams. But in many cases, that is precisely the point. Most of those rules and regulations are directed toward our most vulnerable - those living in poverty, people of color, older folks, LGBTQ+, the disability community, anyone living with trauma, women, etc. And by proxy, the charitable organizations dedicated to helping them. I have a theory that all forms of gatekeeping come from the widespread societal fear that someone may get something they didn't earn or generally deserve. However, it also comes from training. Motivation is culturally perceived as something external. From a young age, we are conditioned to expect rewards (stickers, prizes, etc.) for doing what others want, and if we don't do "the thing," there will be punishment. In this ubiquitous scenario, we often overlook that humans are born with internal motivation. We automatically do the things that increase our potential for survival and contribute to our happiness. As toddlers, we learn how to walk not because someone dangled a reward in front of us but because it gets us where we want faster. The same can be said for every other part of our lives. Each of us instinctively knows what is best for us. The only reason to complicate life for others is to exert power and control. In other words, as a society, we intentionally obstruct people from obtaining what they need to ensure they remain in their "assigned" places. This is the main goal of gatekeeping. Everyone deserves the opportunity to live comfortably, receive the services that will increase their chances of well-being and personal success, work toward big dreams, and have access to scientifically accurate information to make the best choices for themselves so they can live their best lives. This should all be regardless of whether they meet fabricated criteria and others' approval or not. DRC News Thank you! A huge thank you to Kevin Felt for answering our request and donating and delivering a dishwasher! Ours gave up the ghost in April, which meant we hand-washed dishes for 15-20 people every day. That gets pretty old after a while!
 
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I have been writing the DRC weekly blog since October 2013 and maintained a semi-regular blog on various platforms for several years before that. Writing has always served as a way for me to process my emotions, explore new ideas, and reflect on my adventures with my kiddos at DRC. It is one of my many creative outlets.
Over the years, I have explained concepts related to self-directed education, emphasized the importance of supporting and trusting youth to be their authentic selves and treating others with kindness and compassion, dived deeply into anything related to neurodivergence, the challenges and gratification of working with youth in a non-coercive environment, and the importance of embracing creativity, curiosity, and play. Additionally, I have addressed various topics related to experiences that have either brought me great joy, deeply saddened me, or royally pissed me off. Yes, there have been a few rants over the years — especially over the last few months when I highlighted the "political" theater, hypocrisy, cruelty, and resulting trauma we are all enduring. Transitioning from MailChimp to Substack will not change any of that. It was simply time for a change. MailChimp was becoming irksome - locking me out every two weeks for "security" reasons, etc. It is an example of another good thing being taken over by a large corporation and made less friendly for the average user. In any case, here's to another 11 years of weekly writing about the things that move me and hopefully engage you. Thank you for coming along on the adventure. *You can continue accessing the Blog here on our website, it will always be here for you. However, if you would like to subscribe to the Substack, find the registration box below. The DRC Blog will always be free. You can support us with a paid subscription, if you like. Maria DRC News
Help Wanted
We are still looking for volunteers to help with essential repairs and renovations.
Please get in touch if you have the time and skills that you are willing to share with us to complete these important projects. You can also help by contributing to our Capital Improvement Fund. Thank you! 
This old house needs some love this summer!
Dear Readers,
The Deep Root Center Weekly Blog subscription service is transitioning from MailChimp to Substack. Those who are already subscribed with MailChimp have automatically been moved to Substack. You do not have to do anything. If you would like to sign up to receive the DRC Weekly Blog free via Substack register below. In addition, the DRC Weekly Blog will always be available here on our website. The DRC Weekly Blog is published every Sunday at 8:30AM. Thank you! Maria
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Your words matter whether you are describing something that happened, communicating your thoughts or a wish or desire, answering a question, or explaining a new concept. This is especially true if your words are broadcast to a broad audience, whether on social media, online, at press conferences, or traditional sources. Intentional ambiguity, half-truths (or entire falsehoods), judgment, and "cute" wordplay (including clickbait headlines) are all red herrings for a lack of transparency and straight-up deception. These tactics stem from either fear or calculated manipulation, thuggery, and malice. However, as a "symptom" of being neuro-spicy, some of us honestly don't automatically understand or recognize when something is innuendo, vague, or deliberate duplicity. We take everything literally and at face value, trusting that it is entirely truthful because that is how we communicate. (We even add parenthetical statements to ensure that the reader has all of the information, whether it is actually needed for total understanding or not.) Although it may seem contradictory, this is where my innate skepticism comes into play. And within that, I do recognize outright hypocrisy quite easily. Therefore, I check everything, especially if it feels "off," "judgy," too good to be true, or comes from a dubious source. I have learned that when I don't ask critical questions, I end up being more confused, frustrated, or even dangerously misinformed. There are obviously a hundred different ways that your words matter—but I will keep it simple here and say that honesty and transparency, kindness, respect, and compassion should comprise the one rule that guides all of your communication and interactions. Without these foundational building blocks of society, we crumble into a dystopian, unjust world where integrity, honor, and sincerity are forever lost. DRC NewsYesterday, I had the pleasure of participating in the Potsdam Pride Fest with an info booth and table filled with art and craft materials for free-range hands-on creativity. I had a great time celebrating Pride in our small community and talking to folx about Deep Root Center. Thank you to everyone who stopped by. 
You would think the person who constantly preaches about the vital importance of authenticity would listen to her own advice. Well, in this case, not so much—until it occurred to me that out of fear of staleness due to a lack of imagination and potential disparaging comments, I was hiding my talent and joy under the proverbial bushel basket. Considering my summer is a bit more open this year, without planned travel to see my adult children, I have decided to focus my energy on some creative endeavors during my downtime when I am not concentrating on the many tasks involved in running Deep Root Center. As mentioned in December, I recently rediscovered my love for painting. However, the one thing I am damn good at painting is trees, vines, and generally anything made out of sticks and natural wood. Months ago, someone had donated a box of 4"x4" wooden tiles that each had a letter on one side. There were enough alphabet-type manipulatives in the Seedling's Room, so we designated them for art projects to use as canvases (something that is always in high demand). This week, I brought some home to use. I told myself I would not paint trees on them — based on my above fears, I convinced myself to try to expand my repertoire and do something different. On Wednesday evening, I took out four and painted a blue sky on each. Then, I took one and attempted to create a clump of ferns. It ended up looking like an indistinct clump of green. Next, I tried to paint a clay pot, but the result was lopsided and decidedly unrealistic. The struggle to paint something other than trees, with these disappointing outcomes, left me feeling frustrated and shut down. That was when I gave myself a good mental talking-to. I love painting trees! And it isn't only because I am pretty good at it. I thoroughly enjoy letting my mind drift freely while playing with color and simply allowing my hand to flow into the organic lines that become the bark and branches. The process is honestly therapeutic. The one thing I know without a doubt is that I am my most authentic self when I am deeply immersed in any kind of creative endeavor, including writing and designing media in Canva. It is those quiet moments of pure creativity that yield the ideal conditions to generate a wide variety of even more ideas. The entire process can be perpetual, as long as I am cognizant of setting up the time, space, attitude, and environment for it to reside within me. I needed this internal reminder that I am not making anything for anyone else — creativity is solely about the process and the pure pleasure it gives me. This is all the encouragement I needed to remove the weight of external expectations and the limiting confines of the bushel basket and paint my beloved trees on these four tiles and anything else that strikes my fancy.  DRC NewsWe are still looking for volunteers to help with essential repairs and renovations. Please get in touch if you have the time and skills that you are willing to share with us to complete these important projects. You can also help by contributing to our Capital Improvement Fund. Thank you!   |
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Deep Root Center
48 Riverside Drive, Canton, NY 13617
315*323*1435/[email protected]
Deep Root Center
48 Riverside Drive, Canton, NY 13617
315*323*1435/[email protected]